The day many fans of the Orange and Brown were anticipating was finally here.
BGSU baseball (10-5, 3-0 MAC) had their home opener at Steller Field this past Tuesday facing off against the Tiffin Dragons (8-8, 0-0). With the Falcons earning their fifth-straight win of the season.
“It’s a good start to the home stand that we will have coming up,” head coach Kyle Hallock said postgame. “It was nice to win ugly, as opposed to losing pretty. We have a lot of things to work on.”
Here’s how it all went down:
The game was quick to start from the Dragons after a single hit from junior outfielder Griff Cady with the bases loaded put Tiffin up early 1-0. The Falcons quickly responded when sophomore Garrett Wright hit his second home run of the year to right field to tie things up 1-1. Wright managed two runs, two hits, and three RBI on the day. A very solid day for the young star in the team’s return to home.
“He understands how the college game works,” Hallock said. “He works extremely hard, is talented, and he could even play in any era too.”
While the second inning was silent from both sides, the top of the third is when the energy rose again. This would lead to BG’s next double of the game from infielder Brayden Curlis, a walk for sophomore TJ Takats, then a bunt from senior Gunner Antillon that would send both Curlis and Takats home for a two-run score after a throwing error to first.
Antillon then earn another run after a pop-up shot for the first out. BG would lead at the end of the third inning, 4-1.
Tiffin wouldn’t score again until the top of the fifth with a single to left that brought junior outfielder Julian Hernandez home, cutting the deficit down to 4-2. But then a bases-loaded situation for Bowling Green led to a walk for junior Zack Horky, and an RBI double from junior Cooper McKenzie pushed the Falcons ahead once more at the end of the fifth, 7-2.
The top of the sixth began with a single from Dragon senior Aidan Grabowski, keeping the bases loaded for Tiffin for the second time in the afternoon. BG senior pitcher Logan Bell would be pulled out for junior Perry Miller, this would then lead to a double run score from sophomore Brayden Clark that would bring both Grabowski and infielder Ty Hatfield home. Cady struck again for the Dragons with a single that would give Fairbrother the tying run in the middle of the sixth, 7-7.
The bottom of the eighth is when the tie was broken. A hit from Wright that would travel to left field was what many believed was an out, but outfielder Hernandez dropped it at the last second, sending Curlis home for the score giving BG the lead yet again, 8-7.
Freshman pitcher for the Orange and Brown Nate Kress stepped on the mound at the top of the ninth looking to close it out, and he delivered. Two strikeouts and a line out to second base sealed the deal giving the Falcons their first home win, 8-7.
The Falcons will look to continue their win streak as they travel to Akron for a three-game weekend series against the Zips from March 14-16.
